The Qian family backed off knowing it was difficult, and hadn't bothered him for days.
Mo Hua was also enjoying the peace, starting to focus on his own affairs again.
The Artifact Refining and Alchemy Halls were already established, so he didn't need to worry about them anymore. There was another matter he had been planning to tackle.
One afternoon, An Xiaofu came over again to eat.
He drank wine, ate meat, and chatted with everyone.
Perhaps inheriting his mother's talent, An Xiaofu was adept at both listening to and spreading gossip. When he listened, others loved to talk; when he spoke, others loved to listen.
Mo Hua waved at him.
An Xiaofu paused for a moment, then his face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly trotted over.
Approaching Mo Hua's table, he noticed there was nothing on it and couldn't help but look puzzled, asking, "Is there no food?"
Mo Hua was helpless; apparently, An Xiaofu thought there was food and came over for that reason...
"Have you figured out what you want to do?" Mo Hua asked directly.
An Xiaofu sighed, "Not yet..."
Mo Hua said, "Do you want to open a dining hall?"
"A dining hall?" An Xiaofu was puzzled, "But we already have one at home..."
"It's different."
An Xiaofu furrowed his brows, thinking for a while but couldn't think of any difference.
"Aren't dining halls all similar?" he asked.
"The dining hall you open would be your own."
"My own?"
An Xiaofu pondered for a moment, suddenly enlightened, but startled, "Are you suggesting I... get rid of my dad and take over the family dining hall?"
Mo Hua was also taken aback, "How did you come up with that idea..."
"A traveling merchant passed by a few days ago, I invited him for a drink, and he told me..."
An Xiaofu lowered his voice, whispering to Mo Hua:
"He said there was a son who secretly killed his father, took over his family's sect, and managed it flawlessly. If this son hadn't let it slip while drunk, no one would have known..."
Mo Hua sighed, "You don't need to kill your father."
An Xiaofu breathed a sigh of relief, patting his chest, "That's good, that's good."
Mo Hua continued, "According to your preferences, open your own dining hall."
"My own preference?"
An Xiaofu still didn't quite understand.
"Do you like eating here?" Mo Hua asked.
An Xiaofu nodded.
"Do you like hearing stories?"
"I do."
"Do you like eating the exotic meats here?"
An Xiaofu nodded enthusiastically.
"Do you understand now?" Mo Hua asked.
An Xiaofu seemed to grasp it, his eyes gradually lighting up, but he still had doubts:
"But I have nothing."
"What do you need to open a dining hall?"
An Xiaofu counted, "Spiritual stones, a small building, a chef, recipes, a kitchen stove, and staff..."
"I'll handle the stove, you can ask my mother for recipes, and for spiritual stones, a location, and staff, you can ask Grandpa An."
"My grandpa?"
"Yes."
An Xiaofu hesitated, "Will my grandpa agree?"
"How will you know if you don't ask?"
"But..."
"Do you want to open this dining hall?" Mo Hua asked.
An Xiaofu tried to think as Mo Hua suggested, then nodded earnestly, "I do!"
"If you want to do it, you have to work hard."
Thinking of his grandpa, An Xiaofu felt a bit scared.
Mo Hua continued, "The more you fear something, the less likely you are to do it, and the less you do, the more afraid you'll become."
An Xiaofu stuttered, unsure what to say.
"Are you afraid your grandpa will scold you?"
"He usually doesn't, my dad does..."
"You're afraid of your dad's glare?"
An Xiaofu nodded.
"Then pretend your grandpa already glared at you and gave you a beating, and then go talk to him."
An Xiaofu was stunned.
"He glared, he beat you, what else is there to fear?"
An Xiaofu suddenly understood, feeling less afraid, "That makes sense..."
Mo Hua patted his shoulder, "If you don't strive for what you like now, you'll regret it later."
An Xiaofu felt a surge of courage, nodding seriously.
But this courage vanished as soon as he got home.
Thinking of his grandpa and dad, he instinctively felt afraid.
He couldn't explain exactly what he was afraid of, but he was scared.
An Xiaofu couldn't eat, couldn't sleep at night, wanted to go to Mo Hua's eatery to play, but felt ashamed to go.
Mo Hua encouraged him so much, but he ended up backing out, making An Xiaofu feel very guilty.
Seeing him like this, An Xiaofu's mother was extremely worried:
"I told you to eat less, not to stop eating altogether."
An Xiaofu whispered, "Mom, it's not..."
"You've been out of sorts these past few days. Is something bothering you?"
An Xiaofu couldn't articulate it.
His mother couldn't guess what was on his mind, so she said, "First, eat until you're full. You'll have more energy to think after."
An Xiaofu initially had no appetite, but after a few bites, suddenly felt hungry again and ended up wolfing down the food.
After eating, his lost courage suddenly surged back.
An Xiaofu looked solemn and said, "Mother, I'm going."
His mother watched, puzzled by his behavior. What could be wrong with this child...
An Xiaofu, with a determined mindset, walked through the long corridor, finally arriving at Grandpa An's study.
This journey had almost drained all his strength.
An Xiaofu stood there for a long time, mustered up some courage, then gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and crossed the threshold into the study.
Grandpa An had known his grandson was coming.
When he was carefree in his childhood, Little Fu often came to play alone.
But since he was seven or eight years old, he had never actively approached the study again.
Perhaps it was growing up and becoming sensible, or perhaps it was being able to read people's expressions.
Children may seem small, but their thoughts are extremely sensitive; it's just that this sensitivity is almost instinctive, and the child may not even realize it.
For some reason this time, he suddenly came alone.
But this heroic expression seemed as though he were going to the execution ground...
Grandpa An watched with complex emotions.
"I'm his grandfather after all; at most, I'll scold him a bit. I won't eat him. Why is he so afraid..."
An Xiaofu gathered his courage and finally stood in front of Grandpa An on his own initiative.
"Xiaofu, is something the matter?" Grandpa An asked, trying to make his voice sound gentler.
An Xiaofu stuttered for a while before finally saying:
"Grandpa, I... I want to open... a dining hall."
Grandpa An furrowed his brow, "Hasn't the An family already opened many dining halls?"
An Xiaofu felt a bit timid, but still bravely said, "I want to open one of my own."
"Why do you suddenly want to open a dining hall? Did someone say something to you?" Grandpa An asked calmly.
An Xiaofu felt it was important to be loyal, so he didn't mention Mo Hua, simply saying:
"No one said anything to me. I thought of it myself."
Grandpa An raised an eyebrow slightly, "And what about the location and the initial capital in spiritual stones?"
"I'll ask Grandpa for them!"
Saying this made him feel somewhat justified.
Grandpa An was somewhat surprised and asked again, "And what about the meals and recipes?"
"I have connections for that."
"And the stove?"
"I'll find someone to refine it."
"And the array on the stove?"
"Mo Hua will help me with that."
An Xiaofu blurted out.
When it came to arrays, he instinctively thought of Mo Hua...
Grandpa An understood then.
But he didn't feel dissatisfied; instead, he was quite pleased.
Mo Hua helping An Xiaofu, no matter what he was doing, was a good thing.
Old Master An pretended to be deep in thought and didn't say anything.
An Xiaofu was on pins and needles, both expectant and nervous, his heart pounding wildly, and his chubby forehead was constantly sweating.
When Old Master An felt it was about time, he nodded and said, "I agree."
An Xiaofu's eyes widened with joy, "Really?"
Old Master An nodded, "Go find your father. Whatever you need, just say I agreed, and he is not allowed to refuse."
"Oh, oh." An Xiaofu nodded repeatedly and immediately ran out.
Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something and quickly ran back, respectfully saying, "Thank you, Grandpa!"
Old Master An shook his head with a bit of helplessness and said, "Go on."
An Xiaofu ran out again, his whole body immersed in joy, his feet feeling soft like he was stepping on cotton.
An Xiaofu found his father, An Yonglu, and relayed his grandfather's words.
An Yonglu was taken aback, "No way."
"Grandpa agreed!"
An Xiaofu became more confident.
An Yonglu was skeptical, but he also knew his son wasn't bold enough to lie about something so big, especially not using the old man's name.
An Yonglu agreed, and after An Xiaofu left happily, he went to find Old Master An.
"Dad, about Xiaofu's matter…"
"Just let him do it."
"But…"
"No buts. Starting a dining hall doesn't cost many spiritual stones. With Mo Hua willing to help him, it's worth it."
"Why would Mo Hua help Xiaofu?" An Yonglu was puzzled.
"Maybe they have some connection." Old Master An glanced at An Yonglu, "In Mo Hua's eyes, your son has more face than you. If you ask Mo Hua for help, he might not even pay attention to you."
An Yonglu smiled awkwardly.
"But," An Yonglu was still confused, "why start a dining hall?"
Although a dining hall can earn spiritual stones, it's definitely not as profitable as a weapon or pill shop.
Why would Mo Hua want to start this dining hall?
Old Master An couldn't figure it out either, but although Mo Hua was a formation master, he was still just a child.
Sometimes he couldn't quite grasp what children were thinking.
"Maybe it's just for fun."
Old Master An sighed and instructed An Yonglu, "Give Xiaofu whatever he needs. It's just a dining hall. Let them do it. Consider it forming a good relationship with Mo Hua."
An Yonglu nodded, "Okay, Dad."
An Xiaofu gathered all his courage to speak his request to his grandfather, and his grandfather agreed.
The dining hall he wanted to open was now a reality.
An Xiaofu felt he had fulfilled his mission and did not let Mo Hua down, feeling a great sense of relief.
That afternoon, he happily went to Mo Hua's restaurant again.
Having completed his task, he now had the "face" to see Mo Hua.
Mo Hua praised him and treated him to a lot of good food.
An Xiaofu was very touched and decided to make up for the days he had been hungry.
Next came the preparations for the dining hall.
Compared to weapon or pill shops, setting up a dining hall was much simpler.
Moreover, the An family had opened many dining halls, so everything was familiar to them. From site selection to staffing, the An family handled everything, and Mo Hua didn't need to worry.
Mo Hua only needed to focus on the stove and the formation on it.
The stove in the restaurant was made by Master Chen at Mo Hua's request, and the formation on it was also drawn by Mo Hua.
However, back then, Mo Hua's formation skills were still quite low, the stove was small, the firepower wasn't strong, and its functions were average.
Mo Hua suggested changing it, but Liu Ruhua disagreed.
This stove had been used since the restaurant opened, and the formation on it was drawn by Mo Hua himself. She was used to it after so long and didn't want to waste spiritual stones to replace it.
But for the new dining hall, a small stove wouldn't do, so Mo Hua planned to make a larger first-grade stove.
Mo Hua asked Master Chen for help, and Master Chen agreed without hesitation.
Having made first-grade weapon and pill furnaces, making a stove was no problem.
Master Chen found the furnace design, Elder Yu provided the materials, and the weapon masters worked together. In less than a week, the stove was ready.
The finished stove was two people tall, made of sturdy and durable materials, and its design differed slightly from weapon and pill furnaces, with fewer Heavenly details and more earthly touches.
This stove was already of first-grade spiritual artifact quality.
Mo Hua was very pleased with it.
He then drew a simplified version of the first-grade fire control formation inside the stove.
This formation could control the fire's intensity and included a cooling formation, but it only contained one first-grade fire formation.
For cooking, not refining tools, one was enough.
Too much firepower could easily damage the stove.
With the stove ready and the dining hall renovated, everything was set.
The dining hall wasn't located on North Street but in the South Street area where rogue cultivators lived.
North Street already had the An family's spiritual food hall, so opening another there didn't make sense, and Mo Hua didn't want to open on North Street.
He wanted this dining hall to allow rogue cultivators to eat affordable meat.
So naturally, it had to be on South Street where many rogue cultivators lived.
The dining hall was named "Fu Dining Hall," hoping that every rogue cultivator in Tongxian City's lower class could enjoy good food. Despite a hard life, eating something delicious would bring some happiness.
Fortune Dining Hall was half owned by An Xiaofu and half by Mo Hua.
Mo Hua gave his half to his mother.
Liu Ruhua disagreed, but Mo Hua said, "Mother, what's mine is yours. Please manage this dining hall for me."
Unable to argue with Mo Hua, Liu Ruhua agreed.
She provided the recipes for the dining hall, and the chefs were trained under her guidance, but she didn't need to handle the daily operations. She continued to oversee the restaurant and research recipes.
An Xiaofu was responsible for the dining hall's daily affairs.
As a young master of the An family, even if he wasn't skilled, the An family would teach him. Even if he made mistakes at first, with time, he would become adept at managing.
An Xiaofu, though a noble child, was kind-hearted and sincere, making him well-suited for the dining hall business.
Besides, the An family had been in the dining hall business for a long time, and An Xiaofu had been exposed to it from a young age, so he learned quickly and performed well.
This was also why Mo Hua involved An Xiaofu and his family.
He didn't want his mother to be overworked.
Running a restaurant was hard work, and a dining hall was even more demanding.
An Xiaofu, chubby and fond of eating, could benefit from some hard work to lose weight.
But his mother's health was poor, and she couldn't overwork herself. She just needed to focus on recipe research and occasionally cook some good food.
This way, she could do what she loved without too much strain.
Mo Hua had thought it through very well.
(End of the Chapter)